


not bad people (just bad together)

by lunasasylum



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Absent Parents, Abusive Relationships, Arguing, F/M, Fist Fights, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Living Together, Love/Hate, Past Domestic Violence, Physical Abuse, They're Both Crazy, Toxic Behaviors, Toxic love, True Love, Unhealthy Relationships, Veronica's a Southside Serpent, Why Did I Write This?, sweetvee
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-07-25 22:47:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16207253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunasasylum/pseuds/lunasasylum
Summary: It wasn't a sexual release or some sick foreplay. They couldn't help but argue with each other.Their relationship wasn't complete without them being at each other's throats.// or Toxic!SweetVee.// or Veronica and Sweet Pea love to fight, love the fight, fight the love, and fight to love.// or Sweet Pea and Veronica understand each other, and that's enough.





	not bad people (just bad together)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! 
> 
> There are serious(!!) mentions of domestic abuse in here. 
> 
> There's no graphic depictions of fighting, blood, gore, or violence.
> 
> But, if you're triggered by mentions of (light/slight) relationship abuse...

Veronica's voice raised as she shoved Sweet Pea out of her face once more. "Move the hell away from me!"

They were in the parking lot at school. It was early in the morning, too early for anyone to be arguing this passionately, but it seemed like it was all they could do.

Sweet Pea staggered back and then quickly regained his footing. His eyes zeroed in on Veronica, scoffing at her. "Or what? What are you going to Veronica?"

He crowded her space again while she seethed, staring up at him. Anger rolled off her in waves, heat warming her face as she balled her manicured fists.

This was their routine, they fought like this constantly. Something would happen, minimal but large to the both of them, and they would take it and run with it. They would go at it for hours, exhausting every route of argument possible. Most times they could't even remember what they started arguing about in the first place. But, that didn't stop them.

They couldn't stop until they were full on fighting. Pushing and shoving each other until there was nowhere else to go. Veronica's voice raised and Sweet Pea's voice got deeper. Their entire bodies burned with anger, they'd throw things, lock and slam doors. It always got bad, there was no small argument, everything was the end of the world.

"Fucking move." She shoved him again, then stepped into his space again, pushing him back. "Why do you always do this shit?" 

He swallowed as she beat against his chest, she was small but she didn't pull any punches.

They never did.

Catching her wrists, he squeezed and yanked her closer to him. "Stop fucking hitting me." He breathed against her lips. He glanced down and saw the Serpent tattoo sitting just below her collarbone. Immediately, he loosened his grip on her hands. 

She glared at him until she realized what he was looking at. He turned his head away and she looked at the tattoo on his neck. Sighing roughly, she rested her head against his chest as he held her hands between them.

His heart was racing beneath his flannel, his skin hot beneath his clothes. Sweet Pea sat his chin on her head as she listened to his breathing even out. 

It wasn't like they wanted this. They tried breaking up. They tried to be with other people. They tried being with normal people. Veronica tried dating a guy who didn't yell at her or argue back when she said something he didn't like. She found a nice guy, a good guy. He was kind to her, he liked her. A Northsider. He treated her well, he never put his hands on her, he never said things to hurt her. 

Sweet Pea found a pretty girl, too. He dated her for a while. She touched him gently, never setting a hand on him in anger. She cuddled and kissed him out of love. She was a blonde little cheerleader, saccharine sweet. 

But, it didn't work. 

Somehow, Veronica and Sweet Pea were equally sadistic and masochistic. 

She lived off the thrill of arguing and being yelled back in return. Sweet Pea couldn't be in a relationship without pain. So, they couldn't be without each other. Arguing with other people just wasn't satisfying for Veronica. The adrenaline running through her didn't feel the same as it was when she was screaming aft Sweet Pea. And, if any other girl had shoved him and pushed him the way Veronica did or the way he did with Veronica, he knew it wouldn't be the same.

If you dug into their respective childhoods even superficially, you'd easily find the source of their abusive behaviors. It was almost hardwired into them. Their parents appeared to hated their spouses, but they never broke up. They couldn't seem to stay way for too long.

The first time Veronica slapped him, a sick thrill ran through Sweet Pea as the iron taste of blood spilled on his tongue. Her eyes were hesitant, but not apologetic. Sweet Pea shoved her back in response, watching as she stumbled back and landed on her ass. Getting back to her feet, she continued yelling at him, and he screamed back.

When he woke up in the morning, his lip was busted and he had dark bruise on his cheek. Before the yellowing bruises on her shoulder could heal all the way, they got into another fight. It was more shoving, hitting, and throwing things.

Their bruises never heal all the way before they get into another argument. 

One could easily trace this to their less than ideal upbringings.

Veronica's parents screamed at each other and broke expensive things, until morning came. Then, Veronica would come out of her room, walk around the wreckage and get her breakfast. She'd get dressed for school as the maid swept up the shattered Baccarat glassware on their marble floors. When she came home, she'd pretend she didn't see the bruises on her mother's wrists, or the bandages on her father's chest and neck.

However, Sweet Pea's parents were less discreet, even if they were stereotypically violent. His father was usually drunk and loud, ready to rumble with whoever was home. It was always his mother. He wasn't sure if she was protecting him or if she just liked fighting with his dad, but she never failed to intercept his father's path when he stumbled back home. She shoved him into the wall, breaking things in their path. In the morning, he could follow the damage like a story of destruction. The honest love/hate story of his parents.

Whatever habits they picked up, they took to each other. 

It wasn't a sexual release or some sick foreplay. They couldn't help but argue with each other.

Their relationship wasn't complete without them being at each other's throats. It was the raw, hateful, possessive bruises that kept them tied together. Both of them knew they wouldn't be able to find this quality in anyone. The ability to punch and shove and scream until it felt like your throat was bleeding, then lay back in bed with them at night without apologizing. Without even feeling like you should say sorry.

"Why do we keep doing this?" Veronica murmured against his shirt, moving her hands to grip the soft material of his flannel. "Why can't we stop fighting like this? People keep saying it's not normal. It's not healthy, we shouldn't be together. We're hurting each other."

Sometimes, they'd get frustrated like this. Once in a while, they'd see a normal couple, two people who argued with each other, and then stopped. They didn't hit or shove, they never put a hand on the other in anger. It would make them stop every know and then, and think. Maybe they'd hate themselves or their parents or the rest of the world for a little bit, but then they'd go right back to it.

"'Cause," He sighed, tucking a hair behind her ear, then he kissed her forehead. "Anyone who thinks they know us doesn't know shit."

That night, Veronica would curl up into his chest, and listen to the melodic beat of his heart. He wrap his hands around, sliding his palms on her back underneath his flannel that she found herself in. 

Because what nobody understood was that Veronica loved Sweet Pea, and he loved her. 

_Maybe they loved each other too much._


End file.
